Intravenous (IV) therapy is a method of infusing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and sometimes medications directly into the bloodstream to correct nutrient deficiencies, enhance lifestyles, and improve the overall quality of life. Oral supplementation could never duplicate the concentrations reached with IV infusions due to the absorption limitations of the digestive process.
Intravenous (IV) Candidates
Depending on each patient’s condition or desire, IV nutrition can provide spectacular results. The number of treatments and the overall health of the patient being treated dictates the success rate of IV nutritional outcomes.
IV therapy is a preventive anti-aging measure because it optimizes the nutritional makeup of the cells. Candidates for IV therapy may be interested in one or more of the following:
- Increased libido and energy
- Enhanced sense of well-being and mentality
- Improved fat loss and sports performance
- Improved healing and recovery after a night out, a surgical procedure, or exercise
- Enhanced immune system support against pathogens
- Anxiety and stress relief
- Detoxification of environmental and internal toxic byproducts
Many of these benefits are seen within hours of receiving the treatment. Some chronic conditions may require multiple treatments in order to achieve and maintain the benefits.
Procedure
The first step is to schedule a complimentary consultation to determine the course of treatment, review your medical history, and determine the ingredients for your IV cocktail. Booster IVs can be administered on the day of consultation. Comprehensive IV regimens require extensive lab testing.
On the day of your treatment, drink plenty of water to improve hydration and plasma volume to ensure the venous puncture is easy and to reduce the chance of having nausea during treatment. Each procedure comes with no downtime and minimal discomfort/bleeding.
What Nutrients Are Used?
The vast array of available nutrients and medications that can be added to an IV cocktail vary according to each IV treatment. Common signature ingredients are as follows:
Amino Acids
Arginine, carnitine, glutamine, glutathione, glycine, lysine, choline, and taurine
Vitamins
B12, B complex, pantothenic acid, dexpanthenol, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, and vitamin C
Antioxidants
Vitamin C, alpha-lipoic acid, glutathione, MSM, CoQ10, and Poly-MVA
Minerals
Silver hydrosol, zinc, magnesium, copper, selenium, calcium, chromium, and iron
Results
Patients typically see noticeable results within 12 to 24 hours. Results of IV therapy generally last for 5 to 8 days.
Complications of IV therapy include pain, irritation, inflammation, and bruising at the injection site. The possibility of a systemic complication such as an allergy can occur but is rare. Certain blood disorders may not be compatible with certain ingredients in IV cocktails and will be discussed during the initial consultation before treatment. Overall, IV therapies are well-tolerated and pose minimal if any risk of negative side effects.